Colorful Bliss
by emjwarriorcatz
Summary: Redfur is discovering his love for Fireflower every day. Yellowglint is struggling as memories of her brother become prominent with each passing day. Greeneyes tries his best to impress his true love... the leader of ThunderClan. Bluepelt attempts to recover from her injury. All the while, Blackfang focuses on training his strange new apprentice. Sequel to Colorful Sky.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Greetings, and welcome to Colorful Bliss, sequel to Colorful Sky! If you clicked on this and are like, "ok wat is goin on" then allow me to introduce you to the story of the Colorful Prophecy. This involves five special cats: Redfur of SkyClan; Yellowglint of WindClan; Greeneyes of ThunderClan; Bluepelt of RiverClan; and Blackfang of ShadowClan. While each of these cats must deal with their own personal issues, there's something bigger going on: the four Clans were forced to leave the lake. Colorful Sky ended with them arriving at SkyClan's territory. They are all weak and are forced to accept rogues and loners in their ranks. Now let the story continue...**

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><p><strong><span>Allegiances<span>**

_**SkyClan**_

_**Leader, **_**Snakestripe****- **big tabby tom

_**Deputy, **_**Foxsnarl****- **russet tom

_**Medicine Cat, **_**Kit****- **ginger tabby she-cat

**_Warriors, _Redfur- **red tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Auburnpaw)**

** Fireflower- **ginger she-cat

**Sand- **pale ginger she-cat

**Robin- **speckled tawny tom

**Rust- **rusty-golden tom

_**Apprentices, **_**Auburnpaw****- **dark russet, auburn-colored she-cat

**_Queens, _Blaze- **white queen with a large ginger mark on her forehead (Mother to Robin's kits: Flame, a bright ginger tom; and Flare, a dark ginger tom)

**_Elders, _Spark- **yellow tom

_**WindClan**_

_**Leader, **_**Ivystar****- **light gray tabby tom

_**Deputy, **_**Reedstripe****- **faintly striped russet tom

_**Medicine Cat, **_**Stem****- **ginger tom

_**Warriors, **_**Yellowglint-**yellow she-cat with yellow eyes **(Apprentice: Dawnpaw)**

** Flamestripe- **ginger-striped tom

**Caesar- **light tabby tom **(Apprentice: Fawnpaw)**

**Thorn- **golden-brown tabby tom

_**Apprentices, **_**Dawnpaw****- **cream she-cat

**Fawnpaw- **young pale brown tom

_**Queens, **_**Roseleaf****- **mottled cream she-cat (Mother to Reedstripe's kits: Sandykit, a sandy-colored she-kit; Mumblekit; a dark ginger tabby tom with an odd foot; Plumkit, a gray she-kit; and Flykit, a brown she-kit)

_**Elders, **_**Littleflower****- **small tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

_**ThunderClan**_

_**Leader, **_**Dovestar****- **creamy white she-cat with blue eyes

_**Deputy, **_**Otterpelt-**sleek brown tom

_**Medicine Cat, **_**Jaywing****- **tan she-cat with blue eyes

_**Warriors, **_**Greeneyes-**brown tabby tom with startling green eyes **(Apprentice: Tammy)**

** Mudstripe- **dark brown tabby tom

**Tumblefoot- **tortoiseshell-and-white tom

**Raggedwing- **longhaired dark brown, almost black, tom with a battered look about him

**Leafpelt- **tortoiseshell she-cat

_**Apprentices, **_**Tammy****- **light brown she-cat

_**Queens, **_**Bark****- **dark brown she-cat (Expecting Raggedwing's kits)

_**Elders, **_**Spots****- **spotted brown tom

**Stripes- **striped brown she-cat

_**RiverClan**_

_**Leader, **_**Lightstar****- **golden tabby tom with green eyes

_**Deputy, **_**Silverfire****- **silver tabby she-cat

_**Medicine Cat, **_**Beetlewing****- **brown tom

_**Warriors, **_**Bluepelt****- **blue-furred she-cat with blue eyes

** Stonedust- **gray-brown tom **(Apprentice: Prickle)**

**Streamtail- **silver tabby she-cat **(Apprentice: Tunnel)**

**Cinder- **dark gray tom

**Ash- **pale gray tom

_**Apprentices, **_**Prickle****- **solid brown tom

**Tunnel- **mottled gray she-cat

_**Queens, **_**Jumpingspirit-**gray tabby she-cat (Mother to Thornkit, a brown tabby tom)

_**Elders,**_** Palemist-**__thin white tom, formerly of WindClan

_**ShadowClan**_

_**Leader, **_**Stripepelt****- **dark gray tom with black stripe down back

_**Deputy, **_**Scarletblood****- **black tom

_**Medicine Cat, **_**Tallpine-**black she-cat

_**Warriors, **_**Blackfang-**black tom with white muzzle and odd gray eyes **(Apprentice: Weakpaw)**

**Beesting- **black-and-ginger tom

**Dice- **black tom

**Slate- **dark gray, almost black, tom

_**Apprentices, **_**Weakpaw****- **tiny yellow tom

_**Queens, **_**Snowflake****- **pure white she-cat

_**Elders, **_**Lichen****- **deaf dark gray tom

**Blizzard- **white she-cat

**Fire- **white she-cat with ginger patches

_**Cats Outside Clans**_

**White- **white she-cat

**Bright- **white she-cat with a fluffy silver tail and blue eyes

**Carmen- **beautiful tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Pandora- **pale tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

**Pompey- **ginger she-cat with dark ginger paws

**Donner- **dark brown tom with a white chest and paws; yellow eyes

**Blitz- **bright ginger tom with white stripes; black paws; a large scar over his shoulders; and dark blue eyes

**Raven- **black she-cat with blue eyes

**Gold- **golden-brown she-cat with white forepaws, tail, and sky-blue eyes (Mother to Thistle's kits: Leaf, a dark golden-brown she-kit with a light gray underbelly, white tail-tip, and dark blue eyes; and Pebble, a light gray tabby tom with white ears and paws and amber eyes)

**Thistle- **dark gray tom with a light gray left forepaw, tail-tip, and dark amber eyes

**Prologue**

The brown tom lifted his head, drawing in a deep breath. He gazed about him, panicking for a moment. He wasn't in his den, in the gorge…

Then he remembered. _I'm dead. _He rose to his paws, smoothing down his ruffled fur and performing a quick groom. As he ran a moistened paw over one set of whiskers, he thought how he was in StarClan now. He looked at his paw pad, smooth and gray, not cracked and crusted like it had been in life. He was no longer feeble. His eyes were no longer milky. Even though he was no longer on earth, he felt _alive_.

"Treestar."

He spun around, finding himself face-to-face with Frecklewish and Cherrytail, his old companions. A purr rumbled from deep within the former SkyClan leader's throat. "Greetings," he meowed to the two she-cats.

Frecklewish dipped her head and Cherrytail murmured a hello, but they both looked troubled. "Follow us," Frecklewish said simply before she turned and bounded away, back through the undergrowth.

Treestar stretched and quickly followed their path, which was indicated by the trampled ferns and weeds. The three cats soon turned up in a clearing where a long line of starry cats sat before them. Treestar felt his stomach lurch as he recognized Leafstar, Sharpstar, Echosong, and Sparrowpelt, Cherrytail's brother, among the group.

"H- hello," the tom murmured shakily, lowering his head in front of each ancient cat. Then he sat down in between Frecklewish and Cherrytail, three facing four.

"Why have you summoned us all?" Cherrytail mewed, voice no longer raspy, and pelt no longer rough and patchy. Now she was as sleek and bright as Treestar recalled her to be in their younger years.

Leafstar's brown-and-cream tabby pelt bristled as she spoke. "As you know, the other four Clans discovered SkyClan recently, soon after your deaths."

Treestar nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "What a shame. I always wanted to meet the other Clans. Firestar and Sandstorm left soon before I was born, so I've never-"

"They must unite," Sharpstar interrupted, dark ginger tail twitching. Despite the irritation the rest of his body showed, his eyes twinkled as he gazed at his mate, Cherrytail. "SkyClan was originally never intended to be separated from the other four Clans."

"But none of us would be here if SkyClan wasn't where it is now," Cherrytail pointed out, looking like she wanted to reach forward and twine her tail with Sharpstar's.

Echosong frowned. "You're absolutely right," the silver tabby medicine cat meowed. "But the thing is, the five Clans were also always destined to reunite someday. Now that they have, everything should be in order."

Sparrowpelt flattened his ears and said somberly, "But things _aren't _in order."

Treestar tried not to stand and yowl in frustration. He swung his desperate green eyes toward Leafstar. "Leafstar, you came to me in a dream and told me to make the right choice for my new deputy. I chose Redfur, but I took too long to name him in place of Snakestripe! Now it's too late..." He ducked his head, feeling awful. "I've been taken too soon."

Leafstar's unwavering amber eyes caught Treestar when he looked up, and pulled him into her soothing aura. "Do not fret, Treestar. There's a reason you did not demote Snakestripe from second position."

Treestar didn't speak.

The brown she-cat blinked at him calmly. "You were scared of his reaction. Scared that his temper would cause an uprising throughout what few cats your Clan had left. Scared that Redfur wouldn't be able to handle it as new deputy, and would even be killed by Snakestripe due to jealousy. Am I wrong?"

"You're not wrong," Treestar admitted slowly. "It's all my fault."

Sharpstar stamped one front paw on the ground before him, making a little cloud of dust erupt around his flickering claws. "No, it's not," the tom insisted. "There's a reason we insinuated that you pick Redfur, and there's a reason you took our hints and chose him to lead SkyClan out of destruction."

Echosong lifted her chin and looked Treestar right in the eye. "That is reason is because, deep down, you _know _Redfur can handle it. You _know _you can trust Redfur to make the right decisions that will place his paws on the correct path."

Frecklewish gaped. She turned on Treestar, yellow eyes huge. "You see, Treestar? Everything will be alright."

Treestar shuffled his paws, tiny grass blades tickling his paw pads. "I hope so…"

Unhurriedly, the brown tom craned his neck until he was staring up at the starry sky. Those weren't real stars. That wasn't a real sky. It was just a sky in the sky. And, Treestar knew, he was now part of this sky, one of the stars cats down on earth look up to each night. Treestar knew that, now, he was out of the question. He could only pray that Redfur would realize his true potential and make the correct choices, and lead SkyClan out of the fire Snakestripe would willingly bring them into.

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><p><strong>If you submitted an OC, thanks! As you can see from the allegiances, all of them will make an appearance in the story. See you at chapter one!<strong>


	2. The New Rogues

**Welcome to Colorful Bliss! Here is Redfur's POV:**

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><p>His paws landed on the earth just behind hers, though not nearly as gracefully. He was the goose to her doe, if that made any sense.<p>

"Slow down! We're not from WindClan- and we have the WindClan cats to prove it!" Redfur gasped, slowing to a halt.

Fireflower continued streaking forward after their jump down from the tree, either having not heard his plea or ignoring him. Probably the latter, knowing her.

Redfur turned around and admired one of the last not-half-rotted trees in SkyClan's forest. It was a grand oak, with branches reaching out and poking the decaying lumps of wood around the tree. The dark ginger tom felt, for a moment, a flash of grief for his former leader, Treestar. It was because of his death that Redfur hated setting paw in the gorge nowadays.

He registered a warm breath on his shoulder, and turned to see Fireflower standing there, blinking her beautiful copper eyes. "Should we go back?" she panted, sounding about as excited as he was to see their new leader again.

"Seems we have no choice," he grumbled before swiveling and trotting back to camp, Fireflower flanking him as their paws crunched on the fallen leaves.

A lot had changed in the three moons since the other four Clans arrived. Now, of course, it was late leaf-fall, and getting more difficult to feed the additional mouths. A full belly was something newcomers wouldn't be familiar with.

Yes, there were countless newcomers. Redfur made a sharp turn around a rock and stood, observing the activity. Mainly his Clanmates were out, doing their best to sunbathe in the meager sunlight dappling the reddish stone.

Snakestripe, now leader, sat on the Rockpile facing the sky, chest puffed out so far Redfur thought he might pop. The reason the arrogant tabby wasn't Snakestar yet was because Kit, their medicine cat, refused to take him to get his nine lives.

"It may be my duty," she had said, "but I'd rather get exiled than allow this cat to nourish his greed." But still Snakestripe hadn't punished Kit for her so-called crimes. Maybe he was just waiting for her, thinking she would budge eventually. He would threaten her, saying he'd just go himself, and Kit would be the opposite of bothered by that.

Foxsnarl was the unofficial deputy. Snakestripe hadn't actually named him second-in-command yet, most likely because the tabby was conceited enough to think he could run the Clan on his own. This put Fireflower and Redfur as the head warriors.

Little Auburnpaw had been apprenticed a bit early; or maybe it was just her size. Redfur took great pride in being her mentor, and also the only mentor in the Clan. Hawkpaw had suffered horribly when he caught a nasty bout of whitecough at the beginning of leaf-fall, strangely enough.

Roughly a moon ago, five rogues stumbled upon the Clans' uncomfortable home. There was a pale ginger she-cat named Sand; a speckled tawny-furred tom named Robin; a rusty-golden tom called Rust; a grizzly old yellow tom, Spark; and a white she-cat with a ginger mark on her forehead, heavy with Robin's kits, known as Blaze.

Sand and Blaze were sisters, and their father Spark. Rust was a good friend of theirs, and Robin had fallen in love with Blaze and insisted on traveling with the family.

Immediately all five cats took a liking to SkyClan, after agreeing to join, favoring that option over getting lost. They hadn't been offered to take a warrior name, which made them still feel a bit misplaced within the Clan. When Blaze had her kits, two toms, she gave them rogue names- Flame and Flare- and no one protested.

They were nice and all, but at times it seemed like to Redfur that he was not only training Auburnpaw, but also the three newest warriors.

"Well, speak of the…" he started when he watched Sand hurry toward him, Rust and Robin following more slowly. Redfur shut up when Fireflower glared at him. She stood stiffly beside him as they faced the rogues.

"Redfur, right?" Sand mewed. She barely looked at Fireflower, whose angry heat Redfur could feel from next to her.

"Yes, that's me. And good job remembering- last time you called me Redfern." Redfur's hackles rose a bit just from hearing the horrendous female name.

Sand giggled. "Oh, yeah! Sorry, Red_fern_," she teased, still laughing as if she had gotten a disease from a hyena.

Fireflower sighed. "What do you want from us?" she growled.

"Um," Sand said, gaze flicking over the ginger she-cat for half a heartbeat. "Not to be rude, but I was talking to Redfur here."

"Oh, you were, were ya?" Fireflower grumbled. She slunk away, stomping as loudly as a badger.

Instantly Redfur wanted to go after her, but knew he had to make a good impression on these cats. He didn't need more enemies in his own Clan besides Snakestripe.

"So, er, how can I help you three?"

Rust stepped up next to his companion. "As always, Sand takes forever to explain a simple thing," he said hastily, while Sand swatted him with sheathed claws. He ducked a little but still received the blow, rolling his eyes as he meowed, "We were just wondering if we could show you something."

"I suppose," Redfur replied hesitantly. "Don't you want to approach Snakestripe or Foxsnarl about this, though?"

"No, we think you're the best one to show this to," Robin piped up, looking a bit antsy. "You need to see it before it gets stolen by the wind."

_Stolen by the wind? _Redfur pondered as he murmured goodbye to Fireflower, who still appeared ruffled, and trailed the three new warriors out of the gorge again. _Are they showing me a feather? _

As expected, they entered the forest, the chilly breeze common to the season buffed by the trees. Redfur bounded after them the whole time, skirting around a smelly stump, hopping neatly over a lumpy hollow log.

He was slightly surprised when they turned up at the cold silver fence Redfur had gotten injured on when he was traveling to recruit a mother for Auburnkit with Fireflower and Snakestripe.

"This here chain link fence," Sand began, lashing her tail.

"Chain link," Redfur mumbled to himself. So that's what Twolegs called this? Often rogues who were city-borne knew Twoleg terms the best. These words felt strange on his tongue.

"Redfur," Rust said, snapping the amber-eyed warrior back to attention. "Look. It's just the way we saw it arranged before."

Redfur followed the tom's line of vision, and at first he didn't see anything. Then five different-colored wisps of fur came into view, all clinging to the "chain link" fence like a squirrel dangled for dear life from a tree branch. "Trespassers?" he guessed lamely. He hadn't scented anything unusual on the way here: just decomposing wood and patrols gone by.

Robin frowned. Instead of willing for him to guess again, the tawny tom simply reached forward and snagged a reddish tuft on his claw. Then he shoved it in Redfur's face. Backing away a few strides, Redfur's brow furrowed as Robin ordered him to sniff it.

Redfur did so, and inhaled most of the wisp in the process. But he sneezed it out, and glimpsed the dark ginger fur rain down as gently as falling snow. Then he whispered, "It's me. It smells like me. But I haven't been by here in a few days, and that scent's fresh!"

Sand jerked her head to the other clumps of fur stuck on the fence. "See if you recognize any of the others."

The SkyClan warrior stalked forward, not particularly liking being told what to do by a trio of prickly former rogues. But nevertheless he leaned forward, and as he sniffed each tangle of fur- yellow, then brown, then gray, then black- he recognized the scent of WindClan, ThunderClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan, respectively.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "A bit strange, that's all. Why were you all so intent on showing me chunks of fur?"

Robin stared at him in disbelief, like he thought Redfur was joking. "Are you serious?" exclaimed the tawny-colored tom. "It's not every day when you spot pieces of fur caught on a fence in such an orderly fashion as this."

Rust stepped forward, looking perplexed. "And you said you didn't even come by here for a few days. How is this possible?"

Redfur was sick of the barrage of questions being pummeled at him like hail. He just grumbled, "Maybe some of my fur fell off, traveled through the forest, and ended up here. I don't know."

Sand just looked at him and exhaled. "We know that you're supposed to be leader."

The red tom had just swerved around to head back, but now whirled and demanded, "Excuse me?"

"Your mate, Fireflower-"

Right away his pelt spiked in embarrassment. "She's not my mate! Just a friend."

Sand exchanged a knowing look with Rust and Robin, which only frustrated Redfur even more. Then the she-cat went on, "Your 'friend' Fireflower told us about how your old leader, Treewhatsit, said you needed to lead SkyClan."

Redfur swung his head downward so he wasn't locking gazes with them. "Too late for me to do that now."

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><p><strong>See you at chapter two~<strong>


	3. The Arrogant Healer

**Here's the first chapter in Yellowglint's POV- enjoy!**

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><p>The squirrel clasped in her jaws seemed to bear the weight of twenty squirrels. Yellowglint groaned as she reentered the gorge, where she dropped her measly catch on the fresh-kill pile. Then she turned.<p>

There he was again. She could just make out Nettlethorn's bony frame, formed by the tree branches rising above the Rockpile. Yellowglint took a step closer, but just like that he was gone. She hissed at nothing in particular and lashed out one front leg, sending tiny pebbles scattering right into the face of WindClan's new medicine cat.

Stem drew himself up and growled, "Just what do you think you're doing, spraying little daggers at my face?" He was a thick-muscled ginger tom, and though he didn't look it, a former kittypet. There didn't seem to be a shred of fat on his sleek body.

"Sorry," she rasped, hardly in the mood to be snarky. She started to turn away, but the bulky tom lashed his lengthy tail into her path. Without twisting back around she grumbled, "What do you want?"

"I want to hear a real apology," Stem said simply. Yellowglint could feel the heat of his overworked pride, and knew that he would scald her feelings somehow if he didn't get what he wanted.

She easily gave in and spun so she was facing the robust tom. "I truly am sorry, Stem. I didn't see you there, and was just a little down. That's why I kicked out with my leg. I didn't mean to hit you with those _miniscule _rocks."

Before Stem could request for her to tweak the speech, Yellowglint strode away, brushing by him roughly.

There was a reason SkyClan, the other four Clans' current host, was suffering the most. Almost all of their prey had been tainted by some nasty disease that had reportedly claimed the lives of countless cats. Safe pieces of prey were very rare, so it only made sense that WindClan lost some kits too, including the old medicine cat Brindlefur.

WindClan, in dire need of a new healer, approached a pair of kittypet brothers exploring in what was unknowingly to them SkyClan's forest. The toms, Stem and Thorn, agreed to join, Stem less heartily.

Both were clueless about herbs, but fairly skilled in fighting. Stem had boasted that he and Thorn drove away trespassers from their "yard" every day. As it turned out, though, Stem understood the other medicine cats' lessons faster than his littermate, and ended up becoming WindClan's medicine cat. Unfortunately, this put him in a high position, and made him very full of himself. His nose was raised so much, Yellowglint was surprised his neck hadn't gotten stuck that way.

Thorn was doing well too. He was an excellent warrior, just a little spotty with hunting. He had taken a liking to Caesar, and now the two were like best friends.

Caesar still never got over Dovestar, the pretty ThunderClan leader. The cream-colored she-cat was clearly the object of many toms' affections, but Caesar's attraction to her stood out the most. In fact, right now he was bothering Dovestar.

Then there was Caesar's apprentice- yes, Ivystar thought the obnoxious tabby could train an apprentice- Fawnpaw.

Such a shy pale brown tom, Fawnpaw arrived one frostbitten night, mewling like a newborn kit. As it turned out, he was just barely three moons old, and the cutest thing ever. When asked what his name was, he mumbled something unintelligible that sounded like "Don't have one"; so, naturally, Ivystar took him in before any other Clans could claim him, and named him Fawnkit after his fawn coat. Fawnkit quickly grew up and was named a 'paw under Caesar. Yellowglint would have minded if she didn't have her paws full with her own trainee, Dawnpaw.

Despite the steady gain of cats in WindClan, there had been a significant downward spike a moon ago. Eaglepaw, Ivystar's wily apprentice, and his mother Ashcloud surrendered to the disease. Flamestripe, her mate, could only comfort his daughter Dawnpaw by saying that they were now safe in StarClan with their deceased brother Oakkit. But Yellowglint still noticed how much Dawnpaw was grieving when they trained, depression looming behind her bright eyes.

In addition, one of their elders, Palemist, fled WindClan to be with RiverClan. Apparently he had taken a fancy to fish and wading in water while spending time with some RiverClan cats, and claimed he had always wondered what it was like to live in another Clan. Lightstar and his cats welcomed the white tom with open paws.

Yellowglint's head ached from thinking about all her Clanmates. She also realized she had been standing frozen in the center of the clearing, and bounded over to her friend, Roseleaf, who was resting next to her mate, Reedstripe. They were watching their kits play.

For a moment, Yellowglint slowed her trot toward her friend. Lately, things had been different between her and Roseleaf. It was like the cream she-cat had moved on, having kits with the deputy of all cats. She already seemed wiser and less spunky than she used to be before she was a queen. However, there was no turning back now, because just then Roseleaf spotted Yellowglint and motioned her over.

"I can't believe how big they're getting," Yellowglint remarked as she gazed at Sandykit, Mumblekit, Plumkit, and Flykit.

"I feel like an old parent already," Roseleaf complained, sitting over and parting her jaws in a yawn.

Reedstripe glanced at his offspring wistfully. "Before we know it, they will be warriors."

Roseleaf's claws flexed, and her optics shimmered with apprehension. "I know this is a morbid question, b- but what if they don't… make it to warriorhood?"

Her mate looked at her fiercely, but with compassion Yellowglint could never have imagined a tom bearing. "You know they will," Reedstripe declared, squeezing Roseleaf's slim shoulders with his tail. "You're a fighter, Roseleaf, and if they share your blood then there's not a doubt in my mind that they're fighters too."

Yellowglint smiled, glad to see Roseleaf looking relieved. The queen dipped her head in direction of her kits. "I wish I could say one of them has the destiny of a medicine cat, just in case Stem… bails, but they all have the build of a warrior, even Mumblekit."

It was true. But poor Mumblekit… the scant dark ginger tabby was a copy of his father, except for his back left paw, which was a bit lopsided. It was smaller than the rest of his wiggly feet, and twisted at a strange angle. It was impossible for any medicine cat to snap it back into place. Even if it were facing the right way, it was still oddly small compared to the rest.

When it first came out about Mumblekit's paw, Roseleaf had wailed that it was her fault, she had been too daring when carrying him and his siblings. Reedstripe, being the supportive cat he was, just argued that StarClan had made Mumblekit this way for a reason.

Destiny.

Yellowglint nodded after all this went through her head at warp speed. "Definitely," she mewed. "They are such amazing cats already, so important. I can tell their future is dazzling."

**OoOoO**

Bluepelt's tail hadn't been lifted from the ground in forever.

Yellowglint circled her RiverClan friend while Bluepelt stood stiffly. Finally Yellowglint halted behind the gray female and said, "Try lifting it. It is still there, you know."

"The tip burnt off!" Bluepelt hissed, instantly defensive. "That's the most important part of a cat's tail. Once the tip is gone, there's no more tail signals, less proper balance…"

As she went on with her list, Yellowglint recalled how StarClan had sent a bolt of lightning through an enormously tall tree that Bluepelt's tail had been touching. Electrified and not herself, the RiverClan warrior had given the fourth cat in the prophecy, Blackfang, his power through a peculiar nose-touch. Then she collapsed, and ended up needing to have the end of her tail, which had been reduced to ash, bitten off by Beetlewing. Since then, Bluepelt had allowed her tail to drag on the earth, and these days it was caked with dirt, dusty, and grass-stained. It had basically collected anything it went over.

"Just try. For me," the WindClan she-cat insisted.

"No," Bluepelt retorted. "How is lifting my tail going to help you?"

Suddenly, there was a tap on Yellowglint's shoulder.

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><p><strong>Who could it be?<strong>


	4. The Shocking Kits

**Can we get to five reviews this time? Thanks for reading! Here's Greeneyes' first POV of CB, enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>The brown tabby was very furious. He stormed through the unfamiliar forest, so angry that, one could joke, he was leaving every leaf in his path wilted.<p>

But it made sense; the news he had just received was jarring.

"My brother!" His voice was close to a shout. "My foolish, scatterbrained, childish brother… a _father_?"

It just didn't make any sense to poor Greeneyes. How could he have let this happen? How could he have let his skills with a she-cat go slack? Now he was going to be the lone elder in the den, retired early and forever alone. Or maybe he would be stuck a warrior forever, serving his Clan relentlessly- and mindlessly- instead of focusing on starting a family. That was all Greeneyes had done so far, anyway. Work, work, _work._

A lot had changed in the past few moons the four Clans had been staying at SkyClan's gorge. First of all, everyone had gotten skinnier than they already were. Greeneyes' ribs were poking into his bony elbows every time he took a step. Even though he was numb to that pain by now, not everyone else was.

There had been deaths, that was for sure. Miserable, unfortunate Leafpelt and Mudstripe had lost both of their kits, Frostpaw and Nightpaw, to the disease that plagued this entire wretched area. Having been apprenticed early- though by the time they died, they were both past apprentice age- Frostpaw and Nightpaw had always been a bit more frail than the rest. Sadly, Frostpaw, who had requested to train as a medicine cat, wasn't even alive long enough to learn how to cure any disease. Leafpelt, almost listless from grief, was a warrior now, though quite a useless one. If Mudstripe got her to do anything, it was just to mumble something unintelligible.

Then there were the newcomers. Tammy, a light brown she-cat who used to be in Caesar of WindClan's gang as rogues, was now Greeneyes' fierce apprentice. She was also extremely firm in not taking a Clan name. "Better just Tammy than Tammypaw," she had said when she lifted her nose at Dovestar. She ignored the leader's pleading that she would get a completely new name without Tammy in it; however, that only seemed to lessen the chances of the young female obliging.

Bark, Spots, and Stripes had been traveling together, a group of battered loners, when they stumbled upon some Clan cats patrolling. They decided they might as well join, but stick together like honey. And that they did, within ThunderClan, until Bark found something more than a friend in Raggedwing, and totally abandoned her parents in the elders' den. It seemed so quick, because now she was expecting his kits.

Greeneyes swerved and slashed his claws over a thick strip of Bark's namesake. _How _could this have happened? There was only one thing left for him to do, now that his brother was gone to him: ask a she-cat.

He returned to the gorge and was immensely relieved to see Yellowglint speaking with Bluepelt, most likely about her singed and dusty tail again. Greeneyes bounded over to them and tapped the WindClan she-cat's shoulder.

Yellowglint's head twisted and she sighed when she saw Greeneyes. "What?"

"So glad to see me, huh?" Greeneyes joked, but he swiftly returned to the point. "Look, I need to talk to you two about something… important."

"I'll get Blackfang," Bluepelt mewed, looking eager to get away from her yellow-furred friend for a moment, but Greeneyes shook his head.

"No need for him. I just want to ask some of my best female comrades for advice," Greeneyes announced bravely.

Rolling her eyes, Bluepelt sat down patiently, but Yellowglint stiffened and bared her teeth a little. "Don't tell me you're going to ask about love?"

Greeneyes gulped. He knew that tone. "What—" he started to ask, but in a flash recalled the deceased tom who Yellowglint seemed to have banned herself from thinking about… Addertooth.

The handsome earth-colored tom had disappeared mysteriously about a moon-and-a-half ago without a trace. It was almost unbelievable, really, after all the other losses the Clans had suffered since early greenleaf. From the look on Yellowglint's face every time she laid eyes on him, it was palpable that she was smitten with Addertooth.

"It's not about him," Greeneyes said hastily. "It's about my… er, problems. I don't know if you have noticed, but—"

"Dovestar," mewed Bluepelt.

Greeneyes winced. "That obvious?"

"Yup," Yellowglint snorted, relaxed and perched gingerly on a flat boulder. "Very."

"Oh, well," Greeneyes breathed. "What I want to know is, what does a she-cat want in a good mate?"

Yellowglint doubled over, snickering hard. "Not really! You're going to ask Dovestar the Question?"

"_The _Question?" gasped Bluepelt, squealing and bouncing a little in her seat. "Wow, Greeneyes, I never knew you had the nerve!"

Greeneyes was baffled. "The question? The nerve? What?" _How many times have I said 'what' the past few moments? _

The she-cats were too busy giggling to answer him at first. Greeneyes was a bit embarrassed by this, since other cats were starting to glance over curiously. And nearly everyone knew each other here at this point, besides most of the SkyClan cats, so that maximized the embarrassment level.

_Maybe I should've just went to Blackfang instead. He had a mate before, I just figured it was an ultra-sensitive topic for him. _Blackfang's mate, Tabbystripe, had perished along with their unborn kits in a battle with dogs a few moons ago.

Gradually Yellowglint and Bluepelt got over themselves. Bluepelt quit grunting like a pig long enough to utter, "We're just so amazed you're planning to ask Dovestar to be your mate. But anyway, _Yellowglint_—" Meaningfully she shot a sideways glance to her friend, who was still sputtering in amusement. "— what a she-cat wants in a good mate, hmm…"

Yellowglint fully recovered and right away meowed, "Depends on the she-cat. Personally I would like a tom like me, fun-loving, adventurous, high pain threshold..." She trailed off, looking distant for a heartbeat. Greeneyes recalled how Addertooth had once broken a leg when racing with Yellowglint, but barely was bothered by it.

Bluepelt frowned, deep in thought. Then she said, "I suppose I would like a tom that contrasts a little from me, so that we eventually fit together like two halves of an acorn. But not totally different, like for example we could share the acquired taste for the complex water vole." Yellowglint stared at her, like to check if she was serious, and they burst out chuckling again.

Greeneyes was getting annoyed now. "Are either of you being serious with me?"

"I was," Yellowglint simpered, jerking her head in Bluepelt's direction. "Until she started it again."

"I give up," he groaned, rising to his paws and bidding them a stiff goodbye. It was hopeless, though, as they were dissolving in giggles. Ears reddening a little, Greeneyes shuffled off, not noticing where he was going until he ran into something big, plush, and matted.

He didn't even have to hiss the name in irritation to know who it was. Running into this giant cat's thick chest had happened on numerous occasions. Raggedwing.

"Didn't see ya there, Greeneyes!" Raggedwing chortled, his copper eyes bulging as they gazed down upon the dwarfed tabby.

"O' course you didn't," Greeneyes grumbled under his breath. "Too much fur in your eyes."

"I still can't believe it," Raggedwing went on, heaving his rump onto the earth. Greeneyes could've sworn the ground shook as he did this.

The smaller tom didn't sit, just stood with his claws curling into the soft floor. He could never say that he hated his brother: Raggedwing just got so annoying sometimes… in the way, and always superior to Greeneyes. He had always been more cheerful too, especially after their sister, Softpaw's, death. The only notable thing Greeneyes remembered Raggedwing do for him was sacrifice his cushion-like body when his brother fell off a high tree limb. But the reason Greeneyes fell in the first place was because Raggedwing had shaken the tree by sharpening his claws on it stupidly.

"I know," Greeneyes eventually responded, but he could tell his littermate was somewhere else. Probably imagining what his kits would be like, even though they were barely life forms yet at this point. Since he could think of nothing better to say, he inquired, "What do you think your offspring will be like?"

Raggedwing beamed in delight. "I thought you'd never ask!" he admitted. "Honestly, I'm hoping for an even number gender-wise; a tom and she-cat or two toms and two she-cats, you know. But I think three is a nice number as well. I'd like them all to look like their mother; I swear, if any of them inherit my looks, they'll be angry with me." Greeneyes forced a laugh along with him, thinking, _I'll never be talking with anyone what _my _kits will be like._

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><p><strong>Aww, poor Greeneyes, forever alone. :c<strong>


	5. The Blissful Water

**I hope you enjoy- I'm proud of this chapter!**

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><p>Being hunched on the edge of the clearing, sheltered under a bone-dry rocky overhang, Bluepelt felt like her paws would dissolve to dust, they were so cracked. How did these SkyClan cats live with barely a trickle of fluid as their water source?<p>

Bluepelt also felt old. That was the only word to describe her feelings as she watched her old apprentice, Streamtail, demonstrate a battle move to a small mottled gray she-cat.

Prickle and Tunnel were apparently half-siblings, sharing the same father. They met each other when Prickle came to visit his father, only to find him with a new mate and daughter. Nevertheless, he and Tunnel became close and were even kittypets for a while. Now they were nearly warrior-age, but training to be warriors after being soft-pawed in Twoleg nests for a few moons.

Bluepelt didn't mind Stonedust mentoring Prickle: he was his second apprentice and, as the deputy's mate, the gray-brown tom did deserve some privilege.

But then, as the sharp-eyed she-cat watched Streamtail fake-belly-rake Stonedust, Bluepelt recognized a sudden burst of anger burning her veins.

_Streamtail was made a warrior early to strengthen the Clan! Normally, she should still be a young warrior, not being expected to train a young cat of her own! _

Tunnel watched the silver tabby in awe and attempted to copy the move on Prickle, with some success. She could only hit his belly for a heartbeat before he slid to safety.

"Now, Thornkit, what did I tell you about getting muddy?" Jumpingspirit, a gray tabby queen, chided her son as she led him back to the nursery cave. "You'd think with there being barely any water in this gorge…"

Bluepelt's gaze followed them. It was haunting how much Thornkit looked like his father, Thornear, who perished in a battle with dogs on the Clans' way here. It only made sense for his grieving mother to name him Thornkit when he was finally born at the end of the long journey.

Other fatalities in the past couple moons included Amberleaf, Bluepelt's sister. At times pain stung the gray female's heart, as if poison had been injected and she was dying a slow death. But then she recalled all the bad qualities of the arrogant brown she-cat, which far outnumbered the good. Then Bluepelt was okay.

The final three new RiverClan members were Palemist, an elder from WindClan who discovered he enjoyed the oily taste of fish and liked getting his paws wet. RiverClan was in need of a fairly healthy elder, so they took him in without hesitation.

Then there were Cinder and Ash. Cinder, a tom with fur the color of a crow's feathers and blazing cobalt eyes, looked menacing but was really fun-loving and loyal. He was kin to the much younger Ash, pale gray with keen green optics. Ash, whose father had been Cinder's littermate, was surrendered to the dark gray tom when his father was discovered to be a bloodthirsty killer, found by his mate over the body of a kittypet, claws still embedded in its neck. Not wanting Ash to be raised around him anymore, she took him to where Cinder lived peacefully alone in an abandoned badger set. Cinder took his nephew and brought him up well. Recently, he gave in to Ash's pleas to explore the forest beyond their home, and came upon a patrol. They joined RiverClan.

It bothered Bluepelt how she knew all this information about these cats she had just met- Cinder and Ash hadn't even been here a moon yet- and they still wouldn't take a Clan name.

What happened to showing Clan pride? _If you're really part of the Clan, you should take a Clan name, _Bluepelt thought wearily as she eyed Cinder and Ash sharing tongues over a squirrel. _Even Firestar realized that when he became Firepaw instead of Rusty. Cinder and Ash can easily be converted to Clan names, without even dropping "Cinder" or "Ash". _

But she might as well have been an old-fashioned elder, since nobody appeared to be bothered by this. Bluepelt sighed and straightened her slender legs, almost gasping aloud as she raised her tail as well. Swifter than a rabbit tearing across WindClan's old moor, she lowered her tail so that it slapped onto the stony ground.

_It didn't hurt. _Biting her lip, Bluepelt glanced over her shoulder and eyed her tail, again lying limply, the usual as of late. Ever since she suffered an accident where a lightning bolt traveled through a tree she was touching with her tail, and ended up losing the tip of it, she refused to lift her tail. _I thought I would just feel that unimaginable pain I went through to give Blackfang his power. _

Checking to make sure her friend Yellowglint, who had been pressuring her to acknowledge her poor tail again for forever, was still out on patrol- she was- Bluepelt allowed it to rise until it was curled over her back. The fur had grown back on her cut-off tail-tip, and the so-called stump was not even noticeable.

"I _knew _you wouldn't be able to resist it permanently!" Yellowglint gloated, striding over and spitting out ten-some minnows at Bluepelt's paws. Seeing her comrade's disbelieving look at the tiny fish, the WindClan warrior added, "I may have swallowed a few on the way back. I dunno."

"A WindClan cat hunting _fish_?" Bluepelt exclaimed, ignoring Yellowglint's first comment and forcing down her tail again. "May I?" she asked, licking her chops at the minnows.

"Please," Yellowglint spat, wrinkling her nose. "I don't care if fish makes your fur shiny, it sure tastes vile!"

Bluepelt rolled her eyes and inhaled the fresh-kill before sitting back. "So where exactly did you find a river around here with even one minnow?" She placed her paws on top of the wet area where the minnows had been, desperately trying to soak up moisture.

"There's a pond over the fe—" Yellowglint stopped herself, looking distant for a moment. Confused, Bluepelt followed her bleary gaze to the strip of distant mountains lining the skyline with jagged spikes. "Uhm, you ever notice h- how mountain peaks kind of look like cat ears?"

Tilting her head, Bluepelt saw the resemblance somewhat. "I suppose…" she mewed, reaching forward and nudging Yellowglint. "What were you going to say before, though?"

"Huh?"

"'A pond over the'…?"

"Oh! A pond over the… gorge."

Bluepelt exhaled loudly. "Fine. Don't tell me the truth. But I'm desperate for something to wade in. Remember, our river back home became polluted from the lake before we left."

Yellowglint shrugged. "There's creeks all over the place. Follow me."

Bluepelt was puzzled, but a stir of excitement in her belly urged her to go after Yellowglint. _Maybe there _is _something I haven't discovered! _

She trailed Yellowglint a few fox-lengths across the camp, all the way to the familiar trickle Bluepelt, unfortunately, knew so well. "I know this 'river', Yellowglint—"

"Nope," her friend interrupted. "My river's not that pathetic. Come, over here."

Bluepelt was surprised when Yellowglint took a sharp turn, leading them out of the gorge. She kept her eyes on the wispy golden tail all the way through the forest, where Bluepelt uncomfortably picked her way over expanses of parched fallen leaves.

Then there were at the end. Bluepelt's jaw dropped as she scanned the tall, silver barrier separating she and Yellowglint from the thick bushes on the other side. "I just want to prepare you," mewed the WindClan she-cat, stepping between Bluepelt and the barrier. "This is called a fence; I overheard the SkyClan medicine cat, who used to be a loner of some sort, call it that. It's cold, but not sharp. You'll have to claw your way up and over it. Also… what I'll be showing you isn't really a river or creek or any of that. It is a pond. But I think you'll like it. C'mon."

Gaping, Bluepelt stayed on her friend's heels as Yellowglint fastened herself to the… _fence_ and scrabbled upwards. Bluepelt unsheathed her own claws and gripped one of the countless holes in the cold silver material. Yellowglint was already edging down the other side before kicking off, landing safely on the ground. Trembling with fear at the height, Bluepelt climbed to the top and then followed as Yellowglint had done, inching down and down headfirst… and then leaping next to the WindClan female. _Phew._

Bluepelt stayed frozen until the fence had quit rattling in its rusty poles. The noise was shrill and alarming, and her ears still rang as she slithered through the brush behind Yellowglint. They emerged into an open space, and across a Thunderpath stood an unbroken line of silent, eerie Twoleg nests.

"The only activity I've ever seen at those nests is a Twoleg going by with a dog attached to him by a rope of some sort. Strange as ever, yes, but the dog didn't even look my way. Okay… one, two, _three_!"

Disoriented, Bluepelt found herself dragged across the greasy black path. They made it to the other side just as a monster whizzed by, cramming several oily black pebbles into their ruffled pelts.

Growling in discomfort, Bluepelt stumbled after Yellowglint again as they padded along the edge of the Thunderpath, passing nest after nest. The field of bushes they had come from disappeared behind them, replaced by another endless row of Twoleg nests. Sure enough, most of them were quiet. One nest had a Twoleg in the front, accompanied by a frightening, long object with sharp points at the end. Many leaves were impaled on the spikes, and the Twoleg grumbled as it picked the leaves off the end of the tool. Shuddering, Bluepelt continued crunching through the leaves, keeping her optics on Yellowglint's hind paws.

"Here it is," purred Yellowglint. She turned and finally halted at the shore of a murky but deep pool of water.

Bluepelt was in love, and immediately stepped into the refreshing water, a tranquil sigh leaving her lips as faint waves lapped at her belly fur. "Thank you," she murmured blissfully to her friend.

It was a long walk to get here, but to just be able to feel the soothing touch of earth's water… it was worth it.

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><p><strong>See you at the Dusk update~<strong>


	6. The Tiny Apprentice

**Here's your update ^^**

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><p>He could just make out the slim shoulders, the perfectly pointed ears, the glimmering golden eyes.<p>

"Tabbystripe," Blackfang breathed, reaching out with one forepaw and his muzzle. But the outline dissolved into a smoky mist, replaced by three small shapes. Blackfang stood still, watching as the shadows moved around, shaped like small kits and pawing at the air. Their mewls pounded in his ears until he had to squeeze shut his eyes. When he opened them again, only one kit remained, very tiny and just a breath of dark gray cloud. Taking its time, it padded forward to Blackfang. The tom trembled, unsure what would happen if he tried to touch the kit. He took a step back, and in that instant the dream vanished, swirling the ShadowClan warrior in a world of silver and black.

Then he woke.

He had to know what the dream meant. It was the second night he'd had it, and the only difference had been the kits. They were new. Then a startling thought came to him: _Were those the kits Tabbystripe and I would've had if she lived? But why did two disappear? _With a shudder, he heaved himself up, performing a quick groom before padding out of the packed cave.

Only too much had changed in ShadowClan. They had suffered the most deaths, and Blackfang watched their "deputy", Scarletblood, stretch and yawn with scorn. Ever since Slashstar was killed from an old wound on his neck opening up, his second-in-command Stripepelt had to take charge. Yet the gray tom refused to earn nine lives from SkyClan's meeting place with StarClan. The SkyClan leader, Snakestripe (also without nine lives, interestingly) seemed to agree that was a forbidden zone. This only made Blackfang all the more curious about it. He also wondered what motivated Stripepelt to choose Scarletblood as his successor.

Scarletblood was a nasty cat, with a knotted black pelt and liquid, despicable orange eyes. His mate, Pricklepelt, left ShadowClan with two of their three kits due to her sheer hate of him. The kit she left for him wasn't exactly the strongest addition to the Clan: Weakkit. By some miracle, a queen from SkyClan, Snowflake, had nursed him, and he grew so fast that Stripepelt broke the warrior code and named him an apprentice early… to Blackfang.

Despite Weakpaw's swift growth, the yellow tom was still very small. But he was also ShadowClan's only apprentice, and everyone seemed to be leaning on him as the future of the Clan.

Beesting had convinced a kittypet, Dice, he befriended to join the Clan, and eventually the black tom gave in. The only thing he seemed good at was setting the almost pointless border markers, so he was always on those patrols.

Slate, Lichen, Blizzard, and Fire had heard of the new Clans moving into the gorge, and decided to join ShadowClan. Even though the latter three joined the elders, they hunted just as frequently as their kin, Slate, did. Well, except for the deaf Lichen. Blackfang eyed the four as they shared tongues from last night's measly pickings. Clearly, they had not eaten the night before. Neither had he, but he didn't say anything. It was more important for others, like Snowflake (who had joined the Clan because she had fallen in love with Weakpaw- but not his father) to eat prey before him.

He felt another pelt brush against his, and he nuzzled his sister, Tallpine. The medicine cat was still devastated by the death of her apprentice, Stalkingpaw, as well as the fact she couldn't save Slashstar. Pain still glimmered in her dark green eyes, and Blackfang rested his head on top of hers. "No medicine cat could've saved him," he murmured, knowing what she was thinking about.

Her body shuddered against his, and he winced as her bony shoulder jabbed into his neck. Before she could say anything, he demanded, "Have you been eating?"

She backed away from him and coughed harshly. "Yes."

Blackfang glared at her, his gray eyes sharp. His nose, strong thanks to his apparent power, picked up the musty scent on her, hidden by herbs. His whiskers twitched. _A cat with a regular nose would only pick up the herbs. This will come in handy. _"You haven't been taking care of yourself like you should be," Blackfang meowed firmly. "You're so important to ShadowClan. Don't you realize that if…"

"If I die, there are other medicine cats," Tallpine rasped. But she reached up and head-butted his cheek. "But I'll eat today, I promise. At times, herbs seem more appetizing than the stringy squirrels they catch around here…" She trailed off and walked away, leaving Blackfang agreeing with her. _I miss lizards and frogs. _

He trotted over to the apprentices' den, deciding to take Weakpaw out. He despised the name Scarletblood had given him. _I'm going to call him something different. Like… Strongpaw! Because he is strong for having gotten this far in spite of his size. Let's see how Scarletblood likes that. _

One by one, the apprentices filed out: Auburnpaw, Dawnpaw, Fawnpaw, Tammy, Tunnel, Prickle. There was no sign of Blackfang's apprentice. The black tom poked his head into the den, lips curled into a concerned frown. _I know they didn't bully him too much, but did they really weave him into the den roof? _

There was a faint tap on his shoulder, and Blackfang whirled around, startled. In front of him was Weakpaw, staggering under the weight of an enormous vole. Immediately Blackfang snatched it from him, and the sun-colored tom sighed in relief.

"Wow! Did you catch this all by yourself?" Blackfang exclaimed in awe, shooting a glance at Scarletblood to see if the arrogant tom had seen what his son caught. But the deputy was too busy talking to the SkyClan deputy, Foxsnarl. Bristling, Blackfang gazed back down at Weakpaw.

"N- no," he squeaked breathlessly. "It was just on the fresh-kill pile. I actually think, er, Dawnpaw caught it yesterday." His tone was sheepish, and he shuffled his paws, his disappointment in himself palpable.

"Well, at least you're being honest," Blackfang assured him, touching his nose with the small cat's. _And not stuck-up like your father. _He sighed and straightened up again, offering the fresh-kill to his trainee. Weakpaw gladly accepted, and they munched in silence. Between themselves, they still couldn't finish it, so Blackfang thought to have Weakpaw deliver it to Tallpine.

It wasn't until the bright-furred tom was dragging the vole in direction of where his sister was sitting with Beetlewing when Blackfang realized how utterly they had broken the warrior code. _I listened to my rumbling belly over the code I swore to when I earned my warrior name. _He unsheathed his claws and buried them in the earth, blinking curiously as he glimpsed Yellowglint pad by him, an excited Bluepelt in tow. He arched his brow and stepped in his friends' path.

"You're not training your apprentice today?" he quizzed Yellowglint. "You know, she caught a very large and delicious vole. It was big enough to feed three cats, maybe four."

"I decided to give Dawnpaw the day off as a reward," Yellowglint retorted tersely. "And I know, I was there when she got it."

Blackfang rolled his eyes. "Don't you want to reward her be giving her more knowledge—" He was cut off as someone bumped roughly into his side, and together Blackfang and the other cat toppled to the ground in a heap.

Hissing in irritation, Blackfang pulled himself out from under the other cat, who was so skin-and-bones, the black tom felt he would have bruises where the warrior's elbows had poked into his spine.

"I'm so sorry!" the cat apologized profusely, jumping up. With a tinge of shock, Blackfang recalled him to be Redfur, the SkyClan cat who had been part of the patrol that brought the Clans to the gorge.

"I- it's okay," Blackfang grumbled, licking at his ruffled chest fur. "Just… watch where you're going." There was still a bit of a growl in his throat, though it was barely audible. But many cats were still watching them, and Blackfang's ears reddened as he ducked behind Bluepelt.

"I totally wasn't. I, er, I will from now on," Redfur replied. His ears were erect, and he leaned forward a little, looking puzzled. "Why are you growling?"

"Because I thought a badger had careened into me!" Blackfang hissed, additional surprise fizzing in his curled paws. _How could he hear that? I was hardly—_

Weakpaw rolled up, juice from the vole still dribbling down his chin, and smudges of blood from the prey were all over his pale coat. But he still looked proud of himself, and lifted his chin. "Successfully delivered, Blackfang!" he chirped. Blackfang had never thought he'd seen the beat-up little kit so happy.

For some reason, Redfur was still sitting there, catching his breath. Blackfang shot a hard glance his way, but the red tom was unfazed, meeting him with icy amber eyes. _He's the fifth cat. _Blackfang straightened his legs, took a step, and nearly fell on top of Yellowglint.

"Did that fall make bees get into your brain?" Yellowglint uttered to him under her breath. "What's wrong with you."

"Find Greeneyes," Blackfang ordered her, motioning to Bluepelt for her to go to the empty warriors' den. "We need to talk."

He gently dismissed Weakpaw, who bounced over to Fawnpaw after tripping a few times. Even after Blackfang turned around and started toward the cave where he slept, he still felt those copper eyes burning into his back.

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><p><strong>O.O<strong>


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